South Africa expands Smart ID rollout through Absa bank partnership

Absa has become South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs’ latest bank partner to support the adoption of the smart ID card.

The bank adds to Capitec, Standard Bank, and First National Bank as Home Affairs continues building a growing network of branches offering one-stop shop identity services.

According to a Home Affairs announcement, the addition of Absa now brings the number of bank branches to 296, as the government ramps up its transition from the age-old green ID book which has proven too susceptible to fraud. Home Affairs says the banking network continues to expand and ultimately aims to include at least 750 branches.

In line with the partnership, 12 Absa branches already provide Home Affairs Smart ID services, while 60 more are expected to go live with the service before this year runs out. The Absa bank app can also be used for booking appointments and completing other identity service transactions.

Home Affairs Minister Leon Schreiber remarked that the “rapid expansion of our Digital Partnership with the banking sector demonstrates the success of our vision to fundamentally transform Home Affairs service delivery through digital innovation.”

He noted that the partnership has made it possible to process more than 385,000 Smart ID applications in just four months, a feat that “demonstrates South Africans are embracing a faster, more secure and more convenient way of accessing Home Affairs services.”

The addition of Absa bank came just before the launch of the first-ever bank-based Home Affairs mobile unit for the delivery of identity services dubbed “Bank on the move.” This comes as banks are increasingly becoming service delivery channels for digital public infrastructure with the support of private sector infrastructure through strategic partnerships.

“The mobile unit will take secure Smart ID services directly to remote, peri-urban and previously underserved communities, extending the reach of the Department’s digital reforms beyond traditional Home Affairs offices,” the department said in a statement.

“For far too long, accessing Home Affairs meant taking a taxi or a bus, missing a day of work, standing in long queues, and spending hours simply to apply for an identity document. Our Home Affairs @ home reform programme is changing that forever by bringing Home Affairs to where people live, work and bank,” Schreiber commented.

The minister has also reiterated ongoing plans for a national digital ID system where South Africans will eventually be able to access secure digital versions of Home Affairs documents on their mobile devices, together with the ability to use physical identity documents.

South Africa’s Smart ID adoption drive falls within the broader framework of its MyMzansi digital public infrastructure roadmap implementation.

Article Topics

biometric enrollment  |  biometrics  |  government services  |  MyMzansi  |  national ID  |  South Africa